It is common for a worker to be faced with a situation where a nut or other securing or fastening device that is to be removed has, over time, or due to exposure to corrosive elements, become rusted or otherwise too tightly affixed to a bolt or an underlying surface. The typical first approach to this situation is to attempt to use a conventional wrench, such as a socket, box, or adjustable wrench, to remove the rusted nut. This approach often fails, as rust or other corrosion that has formed on the nut often distorts the shape and size of the nut, thereby preventing proper seating of a conventional sized wrench on the nut. Furthermore, it is common for nuts exposed to environmental conditions to become corroded and deteriorate such that the edges of the nut become weak. When a conventional wrench is attempted to be used to remove such a nut, the edges of the nut may strip off, thereby preventing any further attempt to remove the nut with a conventional wrench. At this point, after the wrenches have failed to obtain an adequate grip about the nut, the worker may resort to using pliers to remove the nut. This typically results in further stripping of the edges of the nut, as it is very difficult to obtain adequate gripping force on the nut with pliers. Furthermore, access to the nut to be removed may be limited, thereby further preventing the use of pliers.
What is desired, therefore, is a device for removing nuts, bolts, and similar fasteners that may be used to obtain a sufficiently strong grip on a fastener such that a fastener that is fixed in place and distorted in size and shape by time and corrosion may be removed more readily.